The Beach Hut

He parked in the car park above the beach. It was a lovely balmy evening. The sun was low in the sky and casting a red glow across the gently brooding sea. A light breeze played with the reed grass that lined the steps as he climbed down to the beach. Its haunting rattle sounded almost like a welcoming fanfare. We've missed you. We've missed you, it whistled, and Adam had to admit that it felt good to be back here again - the smell of the sea, the gentle lapping of waves as they washed up onto the golden sand, and the taste of salt on his lips.

There was a lone woman walking a dog down by the water's edge but the rest of the beach was deserted. Only a few wind ravaged sand castles marked the spots where families had played earlier in the day. He followed the solitary pair of footprints which led towards his hut.

As he approached, Adam was annoyed to see that the door was open, and as he got closer he could hear the distinct sound of music drifting out through the open door. He prepared himself to confront a group of local kids. If they'd done any damage he'd swing for the little buggers. But it wasn't until he climbed the two steps onto the little veranda that he was able to place the tune.

It surely couldn't be her? Why would she return now...after all this time? Adam's heart began to race and a sheen of sweat dappled his brow as he imagined stepping round the door frame to find her standing there, holding the hand of a ten year old child. Every nerve in his body urged him to turn and run. He began to wish he'd never come, but he couldn't run away now. He would tell her that he thought of her often; that it had been a special night but that he had a new life now...but what if there was a child? What if she's standing there holding the hand of my son? Will he look like me? Will he have my nose and my habit of touching it when he's nervous? Adam's hand instinctively went to his nose. Or it could be a girl -- I could have a daughter. But when he imagined his daughter he could only picture a miniature version of his wife -- cute little button nose, big wide eyes and that cheeky, sexy smile -- and all he could think was how much this was going to hurt Sara.. He took a deep breath, wiped his clammy hands on his jeans and stepped into the doorway...

'Remember the girl with the red hair?' she said, her voice more uncertain than he had ever heard her before. She looked nervous -- as if she were scared he was about to reject her, but a surge of love filled Adam's heart to the point that he thought it might burst.

'How could I forget,' he replied as he looked at his wife dressed in the little white sundress and flip flops. 'But...I don't understand. Why have you never told me?'

Sara shrugged. She seemed to be struggling to come up with an answer.

'I left a note with my number on the mattress next to you. When you didn't ring I thought you didn't want to see me again. I was hurt and I didn't have the nerve to come back here again...until eight years later -- and when you didn't remember me, I didn't know what to say. The longer I left it the harder it got to tell you. I didn't even know if you remembered that night. After all, I was only one of many...'

'How could you think that?' Looking at her in that dress brought it all back. 'It was a magical night,' he added. 'And nothing could have made me happier than knowing it was you I shared it with.'

She smiled now and stepped across the old mattress towards him. He lifted the hem of her dress and pulled it off over her head. His fingers were still trembling a little, but this time it wasn't through nerves or through lack of knowledge. This time he knew exactly what to do. His fingers, and his lips, had traveled over every inch of this woman's body.

'It was you I was thinking about when I put the ad in the paper, and your face I was seeing as I walked down the steps to the beach today,' Adam whispered.

'Yes, but that was before you actually knew it was me,' Sara shot back, and for a moment Adam felt almost as if he had cheated on her, but there was no anger in her voice and this time it was her who pulled him down onto the mattress and opened her legs invitingly as he struggled to free himself from his jeans.

The End